On the 27th February
2010, a rhino guard on Eldorado Ranch, Macheke came
across 3 poachers on the game farm whilst herding
the white rhino. When he asked them what they were
doing on private property, they responded that they
were shooting baboons. He ordered them to leave
immediately and they opened fire on him, wounding
him so badly that he died in hospital the next
morning.

The Marondera and
Macheke Police are now investigating the incident
which is now a murder investigation and a reward of
$5 000 is being offered to anyone giving information
leading to the arrest of the poachers. If anyone has
any information, please contact the Marondera or
Macheke Police.

DR ALBAN GUNDU
RECEIVING THE M99

M99 Ammunition
Arrives After Long Delays

At long last, the
consignment of M99 (bullets) we ordered from South
Africa several months ago has arrived and is being
kept at the Government Wildlife Unit in Harare. With
regard to previous orders of M99, we always found
the South African authorities extremely efficient
but things seem to have changed now. There were
problems with the South African export permit which
caused a long delay.

ANOTHER ELEPHANT SHOT
IN KARIBA

The slaughter of
elephants in Charara, Kariba continues unabated.
Near the end of February, the remains of an elephant
were found near the powerlines. according to
reports, the elephant was shot by National Parks
scouts from Chinoyi with a valid licence from
Harare.

THE REMAINS OF THE
ELEPHANT

A very big thank you to
John & Helen Buckle, Garry & Linda Rattray and Di
Wilkinson who have assisted us with donations.

Steve Kok lives in Charara
and for the past few years, has been waking up at 5
o'clock every morning, 365 days a year, and walking
through the bush collecting snares. He has become a
familiar sight to people who frequent Charara, walking
through the bush with his little dog.

At this time of year, it is difficult to forget the despicable
behaviour of some of those who attended the Charara New Years
party 2 years ago, which resulted in the death of our big friend
Tusker aka Dustbin. My son, Shane has designed a poster which
hopefully will discourage any potential Charara party goers from
terrorizing the animals again.

I recently made another trip to Johannesburg to replenish
Tatenda's food supplies. I collected 500kg of games cubes and
150kg of fat free milk powder. A big thank you to Keith Maharaj
and Parmalat SA (Pty) Ltd for their extremely generous donation
of milk powder.

On Friday, 25th
July, a Zimbabwean Air Force helicopter marked with a red
cross was seen hovering around Midlands Black Rhino
Conservancy and shots were heard.

The following day,
the helicopter returned and a kudu bull was shot. When the
conservator arrived at the scene of the shooting, a
soldier dressed in army uniform and carrying an AK rifle was
seen running from the dead bull towards the helicopter which
uplifted him and flew off.

As the economic
situation rapidly deteriorates in Zimbabwe, we are receiving
reports that poaching is escalating at an alarming rate.

Five white rhino
have recently been killed by poachers. 3, including a
baby, were shot in the Chivero National Park. Prior to this,
the rhino population in Chivero has always been very well
protected and these are the first rhino that have ever
been killed in this area. The other 2 were also shot in a
National Park but we have not yet confirmed the exact
location.

We are receiving
reports that elephants are being shot regularly in the
Kariba area. One informant reported that he personally knows
of 18 that have been shot this year.

The petition in Honor of an
Tusker - Killed after he Reacted to Abuse.

This petition is in support of closing down the
Charara parties, following the enormous outcry from both the
local and international communities about the death of the
semi-habituated elephant Tusker as a direct result of the
unacceptable behavior of some of the people who attended the
2007/2008 New Year's party at Charara, Kariba.

The death of Tusker is not the first animal death to be caused
by human/animal interactions. We, the undersigned, feel it
is unacceptable to hold a party of this magnitude in a
wildlife reserve. The party attracts in excess of 3000 young
people every year and it is difficult, if not impossible to
control such a large crowd, especially when drugs and
alcohol are accessible. It has been clearly proven that
there was nobody present in a supervisory capacity to ensure
that no animals were directly harassed by humans or to
provide the much needed medical assistance in the event of
accidents and drug related problems.

The Kenyan government
has approved a controversial plan to grow biofuel crops on an
internationally important coastal wetland. More than 80 square miles
of the Tana River Delta, which provides refuge for 350 species of
birds as well as lions, elephants, rare sharks and reptiles
including the Tana writhing skink, will be destroyed and replaced
with sugarcane for biofuel, some of which could be sold in the UK
where oil firms are being forced to sell more biofuel.

In response to our ongoing appeals for assistance in feeding
Tatenda, Bugs van Heerden of Cape Town in South Africa very
kindly came to our rescue again with a donation of 100kg of
skimmed milk powder and Laureen Bertin of Johannesburg raised
funds and bought 300kg of game cubes, 10 litres of Quadripel
(horse-fly repellent) and some glucose.

We went to
Johannesburg last week to collect the goods. The trip and the
payment of the duty was funded by the ZCTF with the help of the
following people who assisted with funds:

The Clover Milk arrived in Bulawayo on Thursday 6th March. Carla and
Lisa Marie's supplies were running very low so I drove to Bulawayo
to collect it the same day and then went straight through to Buffalo
Range to deliver 125kg to Janey Style who is doing such a great job
with the 2 rhino. Since the last time I was there, Janey has
increased the size of the enclosure holding the rhino so when I
arrived, Carla and Lisa Marie were nowhere to be seen as they now
have a much bigger area of natural bush to wander around in. It is
not easy to find them because they are very good at hiding in the
thick bush. I had no intention of driving such a long way without
seeing them so I walked through the bush calling them.

This beautiful
African style guesthouse presents hospitality of the
finest standards with the true spirit of Africa! From
the tranquil location of Panorama Hill in a peaceful,
quiet location, it will be an experience of a lifetime.
Whether you just need a place to spend the night or if
it's V.I.P treatment we cater for all your needs.

Close to
Wildlife Game Reserves, Dolphin Watching, Blue
Lagoons.
Facilities are state of the art with Internet and Satelite
TV. Swimming Pool, Rec Room with Pool Table, BBQ.

We offer the following cuisines:
Breakfast Cuisines at R50 per adult Choose from the
following cuisines: (African, American/English,
Japanese) Full Four Course Dinner Cuisines at R100 per
adult (African, Italian, English, Chinese, Korean, Thai)
or Take Both Dinner and Breakfast at R120 per adult
Note: Portions are large and may be shared in order to
cater for small eaters...